Here we go again
by GirlFromNorth
Summary: A few months after Ice age 3. The herd thought their adventures were over. They thought wrong. What a surprise...
1. Chapter 1

**Weell, people use to have a "Authors note"... So, I'll begin to apologize for my bad English. I'm a- let's say- young student from Finland, learning English in school, and a bit from my sister. So just ignore the smaller mistakes, if you find something reeally weird, just let me know. And yes, I'm soo sorry for that title! It wasn't meant to be called that...**

**My first fanfiction, please read an review!**

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><p>Thunder woke startled animals. Lighting flashed over the dark night-sky. It had been raining for days. In a cave next to the river a herd had found shelter. Well, it's not a herd you normally would see. There was three mammoths, a sloth, and twin possums. Like that wouldn't be enough, but don't forget about the saber-tooth tiger. As you see, it was a anything but normal herd.<p>

"Ouch! That hurts, you know!" exclaimed the sloth, Sid.

"Oh, soo sorry! It was an accident, won't happen again", came the sarcastic reply from the laughing possums, Eddie and Crash. Sid was obviously their favorite target to play pranks on.

"Would you guys knock it off? Someone's trying to get some sleep here", barked the bull mammoth, Manny.

"But they-" begun Sid, but was interrupted by Diego, the saber "You just never learn, do you?" he laughed. "Manny doesn't care about what they did to you, all he wants is to sleep."

"Come on, stop being so rude!" Ellie, the other mammoth, said. She turned to the grinning possums. "And you leave Sid alone, Manny's not the only one who wants to sleep."

"Aww, poor little baby Sid didn't sleep well?" sniggered Eddie.

"Yeah, 'cuz sleeping the whole day isn't much at all", grinned Chrash.

"_Eddie, Crash"_, warned Ellie. The twins was silenced immediately. No good came from that voice, they knew from experience.

"How do you manage to do that?" Manny muttered to Ellie.

She smiled "Lots of practice."

The cave fell silent once again. Soon everyone was asleep. Except of one; the saber. Diego frowned alarmed. Their shelter was all to close to the river, he knew it. And he was sure he heard the water closer now. He slipped out from the cave, but stopped horrified. The cave had been about 15-20 meters away from the river. Now it was only a few meters away. His ears tilted up. Soon it would fill the cave, and slowly drown the herd. They had to get out from there. _Now._ However, there was one problem: there was no where to go. The way they came from was already under water. Behind them was nothing but cliffs. They could go straight forward and fall from another damned cliff. _Maybe we can take us over the river- _Just then a loud crack was heard, and the water flowed over the forest on the other side, killing what was left there. _–and maybe not._

Then there was only one way left to go: north. They would have to travel upwards, on rocky, unsteady ground, and wild wolves.

_Why does this thing always happen to us?_ Diego groaned.

"Everybody up!" Diego yelled as he ran into the cave. Everyone-except Sid- woke up.

"Wha..?" Eddie groaned groggily.

"What now, Diego?" asked Manny, still trying to shake the sleep off him.

"Leave me alone, 'wanna sleep…"Crash mumbled.

"Well, if you want to stay here and drown, then fine with me!" Diego snapped.

"Oh, calm down, you just- wait, WHAT?" Manny exclaimed as he finally woke up.

"You heard me! The water of the river is rising. If we don't leave, we'll drown here, captured in our 'shelter'"

The herd was awake in a sec. Manny shouted right in Sids ear, Crash and Eddie jumped up on Ellies back, while little Peaches blinked her huge, green eyes in confusion.

"Where are we going now?" Manny asked, close to panic. Diego threw a sympathetic look at him. He could hardly blame the mammoth; he had already lost one family…And besides, Diego knew how it felt to loose a family-_ Come on, saber, forget about them! _Diego thought to himself.

"Let's begin to get out of here", was his calm answer. The herd rushed out from the cave. The water was only a few feet away.

"What now?" Manny asked once again, panic leaking into his voice as he saw the water. They were trapped. Almost.

Diego scanned the area one last time. Where should they go, anyway? As if they had any choice…

"We'll travel north, and then find a safer route home again", he hoped his voice sounded like he knew where to go. Seemed like it did, because they followed him with no doubt. But he really didn't know where to go. He had never been here before…Suddenly the water reached his paw. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. Just because he wasn't afraid of it didn't mean he liked it…"Hurry", he barked and begun to climb. He glanced backwards. _Where the heck is that water coming from?_

As soon as he put his paw on the rocky ground he knew they had problems. The ground was unsteady and irregular. It would be difficult for a saber, but for mammoths? _This is going to take a while…_ And yes it did: Manny had only taken a few steps before he was ready to fall. Sid was soon flat on his back. Diego rolled his eyes. That sloth was the clumsiest creatures he ever seen.

"Diegooo, can't we take another way?" Sid whined.

"There's no other way, unleash you don't want to swim."

Sid suddenly grinned. "Aw, poor Tigey-wigey's still afraid of water? Poor little saber…"

"Well, why don't you go and demonstrate how to swim in that **peaceful** river, sloth?" Diego snarled and pointed to the very not-so-peaceful river.

Eddie interrupted before Sid answered: "Well, can't we just go-"

"-**before** all of us have to take a nice bath?" Crash filled in.

"For once I agree with them", Manny said.

"Boys", Ellie sighed before she walked past the others, with Peaches on her side. "Coming or not?" she shouted to them.

The others stood dumbfounded, before Diego shrugged and ran up to Ellie.

The herd had only traveled a few minutes before Sid fell again: this time the twins had tackled him.

"Hey, would you stop that?" he cried out as he struggled to get up.

"Just keep walking", was Mannys cool reply.

"This is booring", Sid sighed. Then he turned to Manny. "Hey, Manny, can I ride on your back?"

"Not a chance."

"Diego, old buddy, care to give a poor sloth a ride?"

"Anything for the sloth", Diego answered, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Really?" Sid exclaimed happily.

"Keep dreaming, sloth."

"Ellie, pleeease?" Sid asked pleadingly, doing his best "puppy eyes".

"Jump on", Ellie sighed. As soon as he was up he begun to sing. Diego grimaced. _Why do I have the feeling that this is going to be a long day?.._

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><p><strong>Like it? Hate it? Should I keep write it? Reviws are loved!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Whew! Second chapter's here now. Sorry for the wait- but that school is just so-! Weell, I'm sorry that this chapter is so short... Things will get way much easier when I get my laptop back...

**Whew! Second chapter's here now! Sorry for the wait- but school is just so-! Okay, I think eveyone agrees that school sucks... **

**Tigey Wigey, KaylaDestroyer and Mwang, thanks for the rewievs! And yes, Tigey Wigey, Diegos old family will probably show up- somehow...**

**Weeell, I'm sorry that this chapter is short... Things will get _way_** much easier when I get my laptop back...****

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><p>The rain slowlystopped. The storm clouds were still there, but sometime you could see the sun. The herd, however, wished that Sids singing would stop.<p>

"-I'm walking on sunshine, wooah! I'm walking on-"

"Come on, it's not even sunny"; Crash cried out.

"I can't take it anymore!" Eddie yelled, and the twins jumped up on Sid and pushed him down from Ellie.

"Ow! Ellieee!" Ellie sighed and was just about to turn around, but Manny stopped her.

"Just let him walk", he whispered "Hopefully he gets tired and stops singing."

"Personally, I agree with Manny", Diego muttered. "If I listen to that again I fear my head will explode…"

"Guys, wait for me!" Sid came running up to them. "Ellie?"

"Sorry Sid, you'll have to walk."

"But Ellie-"

"_No_, Sid." Sid begun his 'feel-sorry-for-myself-talk', witch means, a **lot** of whining.

Eddie sighed dramatic. "Oh, evil sloth, don't you care about this poor ladys feelings?.."

"…or her nose?" Crash filled in. "Poor Ellie's going to smell for _days_…"

"Yes, I think we get it. Let's go", Manny said.

Well, Manny was right; Sid didn't sing anymore. But listening to his whining wasn't nice either.

"Isn't it something we can do to make him stop?" Manny groaned.

"Besides tie him up and leave him here? No", Ellie said.

"Can't we do that?" Crash asked hopefully.

"_No._"

"We could always let Diego eat him", Eddie suggested.

"Sounds good", Crash grinned and gave his brother a high-five.

"Not a chance", Diego rolled his eyes.

The twins grinned broadly "Aww, the big saber cares about the slo-"

"I don't care about him, it's my health I'm worried about."

"Diego doesn't eat junk food", Manny explained to Ellie.

"…I see.."

"He doesn't have to _eat _him, just kill him?.." Crash tried.

"No one's going to do _anthing_ get it", Ellie said sternly.

"We could always…scare him", Diego said.

"Can we do that?" the twins exclaimed.

"No, because you'll just play another prank", Ellie sighed tiredly.

Diego simply smirked. Then he raised his voice so Sid could hear him "Manny, I think there's some wolves around here."

Manny looked totally confused, before he got it. "Don't tell me they're hungry."

Eddie and Crash, who understood they would "scare" Sid, wanted to play along ""They don't eat possums, right?"

"No. They like…" Diego paused "sloths."

Sid, who –as planned- overheard the conversation, and ran up to them. "W-what?" he gulped.

Crash smiled nasty. "Oh, just some big, bloodthirsty wolves hanging around here, who likes to slice sloths to peaces-"

"-and kill them when they begging them to finish it…" Eddie whispered with evil voice.

"Okay boys, that's enough", Ellie said annoyed. Not that she liked Sids whining, but scaring the poor, gullible sloth was just mean.

"Err, Ellie? Could you please let me up?" Sid asked terrified.

"Alright, alright", she sighed "but **no** singing!"

The herd once again travelled in silence. The twins slept hanging from Ellies tusks, and Sid was still afraid of wolves.

"Although the twins exaggerated, that was genius", Manny whispered to Diego. Diego glanced up at the mammoth. He was obviously satisfied with the silence. Diego felt a bit guilty. He hadn't really_ told_ them about the wolves… And if he knew Manny at all, it wouldn't be a pleasant conversation…

"Err, Manny?" he started. "There's something you should know…"

"Yes?"

"The wolves…live up here."

Manny stopped abruptly. _Nice move, saber,_ Diego mentally groaned.

"What?" Manny hissed.

"It wasn't just a joke to scare Sid with"; Diego said lowly.

Mannys face turned furious. "And you're leading my wife and daughter to a pack of wolves?" he barked.

"Listen, I know you're upset, but-"

"UPSET? No, why would I be upset? Oh, yes, maybe because _my family's about to get killed at any moment!_"

"Manny, I understand-"

"Understand? How could you understand? You never had a family!"

Diego forced himself to stay calm. He _did_ have a family…once. "Maybe I don't", he answered coolly. "But those wolves are small, and their brains are just as big as Sids. Besides, they're not really that dangerous. Sabers can take down a mammoth. Wolves would be crazy to even try."

Manny leaned closer to Diego._ Maybe the wrong thing to say right now…_ "And that makes me wonder why Sid and I trusted you in the first place", he hissed, before he stalked away to the others. Diego staggered backwards. He stared after the mammoth. The saber was in shock: why did Manny react like _that_? Sure he'd knew he would be upset, but… After the shock came the hurt. And the shame, for being what he was._ Just overreacting,_ he tried to tell himself. But, sadly, it wasn't that easy.

"What was that about?" Ellie asked in confusion as Manny stormed past her.

"Never mind", he muttered.

She turned to Diego who slowly walked towards them. "What happened?" she asked.

"Nothing", he mumbled. _And they say women are difficult_, she thought to herself.

"What-" Sid begun.

"I don't know, Sid", she sighed. She watched them closer. Manny looked…furious. Worried, ashamed?.. And Diego… Calm, stedy, cool. As always. She shrugged, thinking it was nothing seriously.

Oh, how wrong she was. Even if Diego looked calm, his mind was a chaos. Mannys words repeated over and over again. _…never had a family! ...why Sid and I trusted you in the first place.. _Diego shook himself. _Don't think about it now… You have to focus, protect the herd… _So he pushed away the memories of his family, and the words Manny spitted out. He forced himself to think clearly. _But still… They didn't trust me then._

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><p><strong>And here ends chapter 2... Sorry, it's a bit messy... Yes, I agree that Manny turned all too angry...<strong>

**So, once again: Rewievs are loved!**


	3. Chapter 3

**_I got good news and bad news: the good news are that I'll get my laptop in a few weeks, and_ they started a "writing-club" in school. The bad news are the same as the good: OMG, a few weeks can turn into a few months! And the "writing-club" will stop my fanfiction writing...**

**Oh, and this chapter will be focusing more on Manny, more of his thoughts...and a mad Ellie...**

**Anyway... Here's chapter 3!**

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><p><em>This is the qui<em>_etest __migration I've ever been on,_ Manny thought. It was about an hour since he spoke- no, argued- with Diego. It felt much longer. Diego walked first, silently leading them. Next came Ellie, with Sid, Eddie and Crash sleeping on her back. Last was Manny, with Peaches on his _back_. He grimaced. It was **not** his idea. Like, how many mammoths had their children sleeping on their back? Because all of them was asleep was of course one reason why it was quiet. Ellie had tried to speak a few times, but when no one answered her, she fell silent as well. It wasn't that friendly, comfortable silence they were used to. No, it was an awkward silence.

And Manny knew why. He shot a glance at the saber in front of him. Diego walked proudly, showing no emotions at all. Manny frowned. It reminded all to much of when he first met him. When he still was with that pack..._ How did he endure to be around them?_ Manny wouldn't…

He sighed. He was ashamed that he lost his temper. He knew how Diego always tensed at the mention of his family, but it didn't stop him from shouting he didn't have any… But…he did have a family: the herd…right? And _why_ did he say the last thing?

He knew that he at least should apologize, but…_Why are these things always so hard?_ And Ellie…Manny fought back the urge to grimace. She would ask about it as soon as possible. And she would be…mad. More than mad.

"I'm going to check the area", Diegos voice shook him from his thoughts. Manny shook himself and stared at the saber, trying to focus. Diego raised an eyebrow at the lack of reply, then simply shrugged and sprinted away. _Great_, Manny thought grimly. _Now I'm alone with Ellie… _

"So…" Ellie begun walking at his left side. "Now when Diego is gone, care to tell me what happened?" _What did I say?_

"Uh…Diego and I had an…err.. argument."

"About…?" she pressed.

"Just…just a conversation…we had some…disagreements."

"_Manfred_", she warned. Manny tried to not groan. She wouldn't leave it before she knew… _Maybe the easiest thing is just to tell her…I can't stand that stare anymore…_

"Well…Diego told me that wolves actually live here…"

"Oh", she mumbled, a worried look on her face. Then she sighed. "Well, it's not good news, but I'm not really surprised."

_How can she be so calm?.. Guess Sid doesn't call me 'Manny the moody mammoth' for no reason…_

"But", Ellie begun, eyes narrowing "that's not the whole story."

"Uh…I lost my temper, mentioned his family, said a few insulting things, okay?" he said quickly._ Maaybe a bit rashly…_

"You **what**?" she exclaimed. Manny groaned. Ellie was extremely sensitive about things like that. She forbid the herd to tease Sid for being leaved behind by his own family. They were not allowed to speak too much of the possums- and her- dead mother. And they all knew to not talk about Mannys family. But it was only Ellie who noticed Diegos discomfort when his pack or family were mentioned. Knowing that the saber didn't want to speak of feelings or family, she only whispered it to Manny.

"Look, Ellie-"

"I can't believe it!" she said, voice slowly rising. "I told you to not say a **word** about his family! Would you be happy if I begun yelling about **your **family?"

"That's not the same", Manny protested. "Diego's-" he stopped. Diego's what? Icy? Uncaring? That's **not **the right word… Apparently Ellie thought the same.

"So you mean you can say whatever you want, just because he's a saber?"she hissed.

"No, that's not what I said!"

"Then what? Because he doesn't show his emotions? Because he's so calm all the time? But I tell you what; you can hide your emotions, try to bury your feelings, but they'll never leave you!"

"Oh, for pitys sake, Ellie, I know what I did!" he finally snapped. His voice became softer. "It's just…I'm afraid of losing another family."

Ellies face softened as well. "Oh, Manny", she sighed. "I know…But you can't blame Diego for leading us here. Like, what choice had we, anyway? He only tried to help us."

"I know. Believe me, I know", he mumbled. "I guess you're right: he seems unemotional, and then it's easy to-" he stopped again. Easy to lose his temper? Yell at him? That's not something you say to _Ellie_… She seemed to understand, and sighed again.

"When people gets harmed…many turns mad. Other cries. And then there's people like Diego: They gets colder, harder to read, and locking away all signs of hurt they actually _do _feel. And then they only show a stone face, making others believe that they are uncaring."

They walked in silence for a while.

"So…are you going to apologize?"

"Err…"

She rolled her eyes. "You can't just leave it like that."

"Oh, can't I?" he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Ellies eyes flashed dangerous.

"Nothing! I just don't think- ah, never mind…"

"_Manny!"_

"Come on, I already told you: guys don't talk to guys-"

"Don't even say it", she sighed.

""Remember last time you wanted me to talk to him? _He left us!_"

"He came back!"

"He still-"

"And you think yelling at him is better?"

"That's not what I said!"

"Then what did you say?" By now the two mammoths had stopped, standing face to face.

"I already told you; I'm afraid of losing another family!"

"Which gives you the right to-"

"That's not what I-"

"**STOP **saying that!" she yelled. "And you're going to apologize, or-"

"FINE, I'll do it!" he barked.

"Umm… Am I interrupting something?" came a voice. The mammoths whirled around. Diego stood on a rock above them, staring at them with a raised eyebrow.

"D-Diego", Manny stuttered. "Oh, no no, we just-"

Don't worry about that", Ellie said with her normal warm, gentle voice. "Was it something you wanted?"

Diego shrugged. "I just found a safe shelter. I guess everyone need some sleep. Besides of them, of course", he added, tilting his head to the sleeping figures. "I hope you don't mind, but it's a cave again-"

"That sounds great", Ellie answered with a smile.

"Then follow me", Diego jumped down, and walked in front of them again.

Ellie leaned closer to Manny when she walked past him "You better apologize _soon_", she whispered. Manny groaned. _Why do I let myself be talked into this?_

…_Seems like everyone have some "emotional-breakdown"…_

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><p><strong>Err, yeah, they reeeally have some kind of "emotional-breakdown", Manny... Poor guys...<strong>

**Well, rewiews are- hold on a sec, am I supposed to tell ya' that I love rewiews every single time? I think you get that...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hola! Look, I'm baaack! Heh, I've checked chapter 3, and then I saw that I actually wrote that the writing-club 'will stop my fanfiction writing... I meant more like 'slow down'... I'm trying to finish this fanfic: I know how annoying it is to read a fanfiction with no end...**

**And thanks to everyone who rewiwed!**

**Well, here's chapter 4!**

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><p>"I'm going to check the area", Diego told the motionless mammoth. Manny looked straight at him without answering. Diego shrugged, if Manny wanted to ignore him, fine. Even thought he had to stop him from telling Manny he was acting like child. He simply turned around and ran.<p>

Diego slowed down. 'Check the area', right… Like that was what he was doing. No, he had caught the scent of wolves. Close. From what he could tell, it was two males, slightly smaller than him. The two of them weren't a threat, but Diego feared they were scouts.

He followed the scent east, always tracking them upwards. Then he finally saw them. He quickly hid behind rock, hoping they wouldn't notice him. Luckily, the wind blew from their direction. He scooted closer, so he could hear them.

"-and I'm hungry", he heard the smaller wolf whine.

"Shut up, or I'll make you", the other one snarled. "As soon as we tell **Boss** we'll get our food.

"Do you think _**Big Boss**_ is going to attack the mammoths?" the small wolf asked excited. Diego frowned. It was an unusual admiration on their voices when they talked about "_Boss_".

However…Diego smiled a bit. The small wolf reminded him of Zeke. Same silly excitement, talking, even the body language….

"Of course", the other one said with no doubt.

The smaller one seemed to be a bit sceptic "But…they got a _saber_…"

"Boss can easily take him down", he snorted. Suddenly the wind changed direction, and blew from Diego. The sabers eyes widened in horror.

The wolves noticed him immediately. "_Saber!_" the smaller screamed in terror. The other one snarled and jumped on Diego. He roared and met the wolf in mid-air. Soon the small wolf attacked him as well. The rest was a blur of teeth and claws. One of them, the small one actually, managed to bite Diegos left hind leg, right above the paw. He growled in pain and slammed his claws in the wolfs head.

The bigger one finally fell, obviously dead. Diego turned to the other one with a snarl. The poor wolf yelped as Diego threw himself at him. The wolf panicked, and ran right over to the edge of the clip. Diego blinked. _What the…?_ He walked closer to the edge and looked down. He couldn't even see the ground. _Did that wolf just kill himself?..._ He simply stared for a while, before shrugging and walking away.

Little did he know that the wolf survived.

Diego limped over to a small brook. He lay down close to the water, trying to wash his paw. He flinched at the sudden pain. _That darn wolf got in a good bit_, he thought grimly. He carefully licked it.

Diego silently cursed the wolves. He didn't want the herd to know about hi little meeting with the wolves. Especially not Manny.

He stood up and tried to walk. It hurt, but it had to work for now. He checked after blood. _No blood visible, time to go_. He knew, that if Ellie would know about that wound, she would_ not _let him walk. Diego shuddered. _Well, I've checked the area long enough…_

Diego walked towards the herd. Another problem…they needed to sleep. There was a lot of caves, yes…but which one was save from wolves? The saber started to look for a shelter. This time he was lucky: it didn't take too long to find a cave without any trace of wolves. _Blessing in disguise_, he muttered to himself. That's what his father would've said…

He silently approached the herd. Then he heard raised voices. Was that…Ellie and Manny? Arguing? He heard Ellie yelling Manny to stop- stop what? Then-

"FINE, I'll do it!" he heard Manny bark.

Diego decided to step in as quick as possible. "Umm…Am I interrupting something?" he started. Both mammoths whirled around.

"D-Diego", Manny managed to get out. "Oh, no no, we just-"

"Don't worry about that", Ellie said calmly. "Was it something you wanted?" Diego told them that he found a cave, and Ellie was quick to agree. She whispered something to Manny, causing him to groan. Diego frowned. He really wondered what that was about…

The herd was finally settled in the cave. It was big enough for two mammoths, maybe even three. Diego watched as Manny woke Sid, who yawned, and made a fire. He whined a bit of 'too little sleep', and fell asleep again. Eddie and Crash just kept sleep. Peaches snuggled closer to her mother, and Ellie closed her eyes with a small smile.

Diego turned away from the others and lay down in front of the cave. The coldness was intensive. If he would live in a pack everyone would lay close to each other to stay warm… Diego wanted to smack himself. He silently repeated the well known term; _**Stop**__ thinking about them!_

However, he couldn't help being tired…So easy to just close his eyes, sleep like the others… _**No.**_ He had to stay awake, watch for wolves, protect…

"You really should get some sleep, you know." Diego flinched at Mannys voice. He turned hi head to the bull mammoth. Manny came and stood beside him.

"Ah, no", Diego said, trying to make his voice alert. "I'm perfectly fine here."

Manny shuddered. "Don't you think it's cold out here?"

"Not really", he lied. They fell silent.

Manny was the one who begun to talk again. "So…um…I just…wanted to apologize for what I said earlier."  
>Diego could only stare. <em><span>Manny?<span>_ Was apologizing? He was tempted to say something like '_who are you, and what have you done to Manny_', but in the end his stupid reply was; "What?"

Manny sighed. "Well…I know I lost my temper, and that we really didn't have anywhere else to go, and that you only wanted you help, that I was a jerk-"

"Manny-" Diego tried to interrupt.

"-and I'm sorry for bringing up your family, and-"

Diego finally hit Mannys shoulder…or leg.

There was a small pause. "Thanks", Manny muttered.

Diego suddenly realized what Manny and Ellie had argued about.

"Ellie talked you into this?" he asked with a smirk.

"Yeah", he mumbled. "But I'm still sorr-"

"It's nothing", Diego said quickly. "Really."

"Well…good", Manny said. Both Manny and Diego were uncomfortable with that kind of discussions.

"…Goodnight, I guess", Diego finally said. Manny muttered something back, before walking into the cave.

Diego cursed himself. He should have told Manny about the wolves. Really, why didn't he? He just…didn't want the others to worry?

Diego groaned. He looked at his paw. It didn't look to good. _I've had worse_, he told himself.

He couldn't resist the sleep anymore, and finally closed his eyes. He had always been a light sleeper, so surely he would wake up…

He dreamed for the first time for long. It was a dream he both hated and loved.

It was a dream about his family.

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><p><strong>Aaaand rewiws makes me write more!<strong>

**Gotta go, mum wants to be on her computer, too...it's getting late, you know...**


	5. Chapter 5

**And I'm NOT dead! Sorry for the long wait... This chapter was already finished on friday...no, before that...**

**But guess what? My laptop's back! Yaaaay! Mom kept her promise!**

**Weeell... Bad news again. Here they are: MY SISTER KNOW ABOUT THE FANFICTION! Um, it's not that bad...I think. Anyway, a friend knows too, and she reads it! That so-called-'friend's name is H- ( friend smacks me) *sigh* Well, "H" wants to be anonymous...**

**Um, so this chapter is just a dream, of longer and shorter flashbacks... And thanks to all who rewiewed!**

**Here's chapter 5!**

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><p><strong>The dream<strong>

_A m__other and father were looking at three newborn cubs. It was two boys and one girl._

"_What should we call them?" the mother, Kacee, asked softly._

"_We could call the little one… Benito", Adriano, the father smiled._

"_I like Diana for the girl", she said lovingly._

"_And the boy?"_

_The mother thought for a while. _

_Then their oldest son, Soto, walked closer and looked at his little brother. The little cub stared up at his brother with green, curious eyes. He let out a small sound, sounding like a hello._

"_Hi, little brother", he whispered and smiled. Then he looked at his parents. "What's his name?"_

"_Well…we're not sure yet", his father said. "We've thought about Alano, or Dario-"_

"_Dario?" Soto wrinkled his nose. "It…doesn't suit him", he was silent for a while. "What about…Diego?"  
>"Diego?" his mother sounded surprised.<em>

"_Yeah. After grandpa."_

_Adriano smiled. "Then Diego it is", he said. And that was the cubs name._

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><p><em>A few cubs were playing. The sun shined, and it was an unusual warm day. Not far from the cubs lived a pack of sabers.<em>

_One of the smaller cubs was Diego. Right now, little Diego was rolling around in the snow with another cub; his sister, Diana. It was an friendly 'play-fight', but that didn't mean they hadn't scratches over their small bodies._

_Laughter filled the air. If the cubs weren't fighting, they played tag, hide and seek, or what they wanted to._

"_Diego, Diana, let's go fishing!" a light golden coloured cub exclaimed. Her name was Krista._

"_Can I come to?" asked the small, dark cub named Benito. _

"_Sure, everyone can come!" the cubs cheered, with a happiness only children can have._

_If another animal, a herbivore, would have walked by, they would've been surprised. Because sabel-tooth tigers are some of the most dangerous predators, other animals thought they were cold, unfeeling, well, even evil creatures that only lived for killing. Which meant they also thought their cubs didn't play like 'normal' children do._

_Oh, how wrong they were. Saber cubs were __at least__ as playful, happy and caring as other kids. _

_The cubs threw themselves with screams and laughter. They were not professional fishers, not at all. However, some of the cubs actually caught small fishes. _

"_Hey, I got one!" Diego exclaimed after several tries. He struggled to pull it up on land, but the fish was all to large for him. Krista and her brother Dereck ran over to help him._

"_That's a biiiig fish", a slightly grayish cub said._

"_Sure it is, Zeke", Diana grinned. _

"_So…are we going to eat it now, or take it to the pack?" Diego asked._

"_**Or**__…you give it to us", a voice said. Two older cubs walked up to them, both smirking._

"_Oh, knock it off, Victor", Krista spat._

"_Yeah, Diego caught the fish", Diana snarled._

"_Now, now, calm down", Victors brother Oscar said. "We don't want a fight, right?" They walked closer to the cubs._

"_No", Diego interrupted. "The fish is ours."_

_Victor snarled. "Now listen here, you little brat, you give the fish to us, if you don't want anyone to get hurt."_

"_Victor, just leave it-" Oscar begun, frowning._

"_Shut up", Victor growled, and tried to grab the fish. The fish, however, had other plans. It wasn't fully dead, and it made a big jump, and landed a bit from the edge of a cliff._

"_The fish!" little Benito exclaimed and jumped after it._

_Diegos eyes widened. "Benito, no!" the smaller cub was dangerous close to the river. Not the water they fished in, but a fast, deep river. If the cub fell in, he would not make it._

_Diego rushed over and pulled Benito from the deadly edge. The fish fell down._

_Suddenly, Victor let out a mad scream. His eyes were dazed, and the tongue hanged out. Still screaming he threw himself at the much smaller Diego. Diego yelped and fell backwards._

_All the cubs screamed terrified as Diego and Victor fell._

_Diego came up to the surface and gasped for air. He tried to swim to the shore, but the water was all to strong. It kept pulling him down, up, from side to side, before slamming him in a rock. The world turned black._

"_Diego!" his sister screamed._

"_It's my fault", Benito sobbed._

"_Is he dead?" the cubs panicked and interrupted each other all the time._

"_No! He's alive!" _

"_Where is he?"_

"_Is he okay?"_

"_Why did Victor do-"_

_A sudden roar cut them off. An older saber, not fully grown up, flew past them, and leapt in the water. The saber was stronger than Diego, and manged to swim towards the unconscious cub._

"_It's Soto!" Krista shouted._

"_Big bro?" Diana asked hopefully. The cubs begun to cheer as Soto pulled his little brother to the shore._

"_Diego?" Soto panted and tried to wake him. He didn't get any answer._

_An other saber jumped in the water to save Victor. It was Adriano. Soto kept calling Diegos name, over and over again._

"_S-Soto?" the cub whispered. _

"_Yes", Soto said with faked calm. "Just rest, we're going home soon._

_Adriano quickly checked his son, before telling Soto to take him home. Because Adriano was the pack leader, he had to deal with Victor first. _

_Soto carried Diego back to the packs cave, with the cubs silently following. _

_His mother lay close to Diego and tried to make him warm._

"_M-Mom?" Diego asked shakily. _

"_Yes, sweetie?"_

"_Why did he do that? Victor, I mean?"_

_His mother was silent before answering. "Victor…was very ill, okay?"_

_The illness had made Victor Crazy, before it finally took his life. It killed three other sabers before it stopped._

* * *

><p>"<em>Where's mom and dad?" Benito asked.<em>

"_They're hunting. They'll soon back", Diego answered._

_Dereck raised an eyebrow. "In this weather?" he said, pointing to the storm outside._

"_Duh, __everyone__ except us is hunting", Krista rolled her eyes to her brother._

_Diana frowned concerned. "What if something has happened?"_

"_Nothing will happen them", Soto said, immediately calming them._

* * *

><p>"<em>And what do you say then?" Kacee scolded her son.<em>

"_Sorry, Leo", Diego muttered to the cub._

_His eyes narrowed. "Yeah, sure", he hissed._

_Diego rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'm sorry that I fooled you, telling you a ghost lived in the cave, scaring you, and throwing fruits on you. Can I go now?" he added hopefully to his mother._

_She sighed. "Sometimes, you remind me all too much of Soto."_

_Diego grinned. "Exactly! He's the one who taught me!"_

* * *

><p>"<em>Kacee! Take the kids and leave!" Adriano shouted.<em>

"_I won't leave you!" she screamed._

"_**Go!**__" Kacee blinked back her tears._

"_Soto", she said hoarsly. "I know you're not an adult. But you have to be strong for your siblings, okay? And if something happens… Don't look back."_

_The humans attacked. It wasn't just a few humans; it was more than any pack ever seen before. The sabres were ready to fight: while they fought, they buyed time to the others to escape. And they needed time._

_Kacee and a few others took care of the cubs. They ran as fast as they could, but the humans was strong. The sabres were forced back._

"_Mom, what's happening?" Benito whispered. "Where's dad?"_

"_Bennie, everything's going to be alright, just keep running", the mother quickly answered. She pushed the cubs in the right direction._

"_Mum?.." Diego and Diana asked._

"_Just go", she was just about to run when she saw Adriano. They fought closer now. Time seemed to slow down as she saw a spear coming towards her mate._

"_Adi!" she yelled. _

_Without even thinking she threw herself between her beloved and the spear. It hit her right in the stomach. _

_Adriano let out a wordless scream as his wife fell. He nuzzled her, and begged her to wake up._

_She managed to choke out three words: "I-I…love..you."_

_Adriano roared and leapt at the humans. He attacked an killed, only one thing on his mind: revenge._

"_MOM!" Diana screamed and ran to Kacee without hesitating. She was immediately followed by Diego and Benito. Even Soto followed._

"_Mommy", Benito whimpered._

"_Come on, mom", Diego whispered. "We have to go, please…"_

"_No, sweetie", she breathed. "Mommy's…mommy's going to a better place. I'm…no going t-to...make it."_

"_Are you leaving us?" Benito cried, tears flowing down his cheeks. _

"_Please stay", Diana whispered. _

"_I'm never going to leave you…I'll always be with you…in your hearts", her voice was barely audible. "Go…now, before it's too late…S-Soto…you have to take care of them…"_

"_Yes, mom", he choked out. Not even Soto could hold back his tears._

"_I'm not leaving you", Diego whispered._

"_S-sweetheart…you have to be a b-big boy for me…" she coughed up blood. "A-and always remember…that I..l-love…you", with that she closed her eyes, and never opened them again._

_Benito let out a heartbreaking scream. They all sobbed uncontrolled._

"_We have to go", Soto finally said, wiping away any tears that were left. "That's what she would've wanted._

"_We can't just leave her", Diego protested. His brother remained silent. "Soto!" he screamed._

"_Remember moms last words", he said quietly. Then he picked up the crying Benito in his mouth and begun to walk away._

"_Hurry!" a saber named Tito yelled._

_Diana licked Diegos cheek. "Come", she said softly. Diego took one last look at his mother, then he walked away._

_He didn't look back. _

* * *

><p>"<em>Dad…get up", Diego silently told his motionless father. It was one week since the humans attacked. One week since her dead.<em>

_Adriano was like a living dead. Now, he got up and walked past his son without a word._

_ Diego lowered his ears._

_ Why didn't his father speak to him any more?_

* * *

><p>"<em>Look out!" Tito screamed. Rocks tumbled from the mountain. The sabres ran, trying to protect themselves. <em>

_But Diego was too far away. He wouldn't make it. But instead of being crushed, he felt his father grab him._

"_I'm sorry", Adriano whispered, before throwing his son into safety. Only later Diego realized he apologized for being cold and silent._

"…_D-dad?" Diego whispered as the rocks finally stopped falling._

_The cub felt terrible as he realized the harsh truth: Adriano had offered his chance to survival to save his son._

_They didn't find his body._

* * *

><p><em>Diego felt numb. He had lost both his parents in just a few weeks. He didn't know what the worst was. Kacee had a last talk with them, which made them cry out their small hearts.<em>

_But his fathers dead…was just so sudden. No last goodbye, hug, nothing. He couldn't even cry._

_Still, crying was better than this coldness that slowly killed him._

* * *

><p>"<em>Great, Diego!" Soto exclaimed proudly. Diego had grown into a young, slim sabre. He wasn't fully grown up yet, with paws too big for his size. <em>

_Soto was learning him to hunt for real. He had caught an antelope. He couldn't help but feel proud._

_He had turned into a great hunter and tracker._

* * *

><p><em>Diego woke up in the middle of the night. It was a blizzard, the coldest winter he ever seen. He turned to the reason why he woke up. He stared as he saw Krista snuggle closer to him.<em>

"_Wha-"_

"_Oh, shut up", she muttered and opened a shining blue eye. "I'm freezing to death here."_

"_Err…okay…Goodnight…?" Diego said in confusion. Then he lay down again, thinking she could share his warmth one night. _

_When the morning came they still lay close to each other._

* * *

><p><em>They weren't a big pack anymore. But they had a few new members; a big and fat sabre named Lenny, for example. There was also a pretty sabre with dark golden fur named Mira.<em>

_Diego smiled. He could see that his big brother was slowly falling in love with her. He really hoped they would get together. They would be an…adorable couple. _

_Diego fought back the sudden urge to snigger. The thought of Soto in a relationship was just…laughable. _

_Diana came out from nowhere and sat down beside him._

"_Soto is such a jerk!" she exclaimed for no real reason._

"_Um… You're right?"_

"_Of course I'm right", she muttered. "I tried to talk to him, but he simply snapped that he was 'busy' and stalked off too-"_

"_-Mira?" Diego interrupted smirking. _

_A sly grin crept on her face. "And I think love is in the air", she said in sing-song voice._

"_Yeeeeah", by now they had identical smirks on their faces. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"_

"_Let's go and tease him", Diana snickered, and they ran off like playful cubs._

* * *

><p>"<em>No, I don't", Soto said firmly.<em>

"_Yes, you do like Mira", Diego grinned._

"_Do not!"_

"_Do!"_

"_No." _

"_Yes."_

"_Shut up your little brat!"_

"_Let me think about it…Nah. Not before you admit you like her."_

"_Read my lips: I. Don't. Like her!"_

"_Knock it off, we all know you do", Diana yawned._

_Soto glared at her. "I can't remember talking to __**you**__", he snarled. _

_She rolled her eyes. "She likes you too, you know."_

_This caught Sotos attention. _

_Benito, still the smallest saber in the pack, decided to join in._

"_All you have to do is to tell her how much you love her-"_

"_Shut up!" Soto barked. Benito merely sniggered. _

"_Let me remind you: I'm the pack leader here", he growled warningly. "And I could easily-"_

"_Oh, __**please**__, Soto", Krista sighed. "You wouldn't do anything to him; you're all too soft.!_

"_I'm not soft!" Soto exclaimed. _

"_Of course not" Diana groaned. "But, well, this isn't what they call a normal pack."_

"_Of course it's not normal", Soto interrupted. "__**You**__ guys are here."_

"_Hey!" Diego protested._

"_And where are you going?" Krista asked. Soto had turned his back to them and was walking away._

"_To Mira", Soto replied calmly. The others begun to cheer and giving each other high-fives, and Benito wished him good luck. Krista was the one who laughed the most._

"_By the way, Krista", Soto begun, looking back. Then he smirked. "Have fun with your boyfriend", he said, tilting his head towards Diego._

"_WHAT?" both Diego and Krista shouted._

_Soto simply laughed._

* * *

><p>"Diego!" Sid almost shouted in Diegos ear.<p>

"What?" Diego sat up, blinking groggily.

"Are you going to sleep the whole evening?" Manny asked, smirking.

"Uh.." Diego looked around. _Only a dream…_ he thought._ And now: Forget it!_ He guessed they would have to walk the whole evening, and in the night too.

"How long will we travel today?" Ellie asked. "Or well…evening."

"I guess we're travelling to…" Manny begun frowning. Then he looked at Diego. "Any idea, uber-tracker? "

"I suggest we stop before midnight", the saber shrugged, and begun to walk.

Ellie frowned. "Did you talk to Diego?" she asked Manny, whispering.

"Yes", he sighed.

"Then why does he seem so…so…down?"

"Uh…"

"You didn't even notice, did you?" she sighed.

Mannys lack of reply was the answer.

Was she really the only one who noticed things in the herd?

_Women have to fix everything…_

* * *

><p><strong>Whew! My longest chapter so far! The story stat is so fun to look at...<strong>

**Diego: Um... you made me a hyper, playful cub?**

**GirlFromNorth: That's right! **

**Diego: ...crying for my mom?**

**GirlFromNorth: Yup!**

**Diego: Teasing my pack leader?**

**GirlFromNorth: Which point is it you don't get?**

**Diego: Most of them.**

**Blondie: Ah, don't care about her. She's just crazy...**

**GirlFromNorth: Hey! What are YOU doing here?**

**Blondie: Uh, I don't know. You're the author, remember? And...why did you name me Blondie?**

**GirlFromNorth: Let me think about it... Maybe because you _are _blond?**

**Blondie: Oh!**

**Diego: *groan* How did I end up here anyway? (walks back to Ice Age)**

**GirlFromNorth: No no no! I'm the author! I can do what ever I want, and you can't leave!**

**Diego: *shakes head* poor creature... (keeps walking)**

**Blondie: You know...you don't actually own them...**

**GirlFromNorth: F***!**

**"H": *sigh* Just rewiew... GirlFromNorth was jusr bored...and crazy.**

**GirlFromNoth: HEY!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello there again! *yawn* I'm so tired... Laying ill _again, _and I HATE it! The only good thing is that I can't go to school... Sorry, I should've updated sooner, but we have some test/sample week, whatever... Ugh, set fire on the school, sommeone?...**

**Really, why am I whining on ? Guess I'm just weird...**

**So, here's chapter 6!**

* * *

><p>Diego tried to not limp. He didn't want to slow down the others. Luckily, no one had noticed about his 'injury'…yet.<p>

The herd travelled in the same landscape as before: rocks and cliffs wherever you looked, not a tree in sight. And they all were sick of it.

But this time, Eddie and Crash weren't tired. No, they were full of energy, pulling pranks on everyone, playing with Peaches, and so on.

Diego wished all of them would be quieter. And not only the possums… Ellie tried to learn Peaches to talk, who simply giggled. Manny commented that she at least could say 'mommy' and 'daddy', and a few more words, before turning to Sid, who- surprisingly- sang. Right now, Eddie and Crash played some "don't touch the ground" game, and it seemed like they 'died' every time they touched the ground…

They jumped from rocks too mammoths too sloths. Sadly, even too sabers.

Diego hissed in pain as the twins jumped onto his back. His leg arched, and it was harder to walk than before.

"Get off me", Diego snarled and shook them off.

Eddie let out a fake scream as he fell. Crash grabbed the sabers fur and hanged.

"What, is the mighty saber grumpy today? _Such _a surprise", Crash grinned.

"Yeah, don't care about me, just dying here", Eddie sniffed and lay sprawled on the ground.

Sid frowned confused. "I didn't know possums died of short falls."

Manny simply rolled his eyes.

"Crash, let go of Diego", Ellie sighed. Crash shrugged before letting go. Diego flinched as the possum accidently hit his leg.

He quickly straighten up, pretending everything was fine, before-

"What happened to your leg?" Eddie exclaimed wide eyed.

Diego mentally groaned.

"Dude, what's that?" Crash tried to get a better look at it.

"I don't know what you're talking about", Diego said sternly and begun to walk again. This time he was stopped by a trunk.

"What's going on?" Ellie asked, her motherly side showing.

"There, his left! It's all…bloody!"

"No it's not-", Diego protested, but gasped as Manny grabbed his leg and inspected the wound.

"Diego", Mannys voice was dangerous calm. "_What_ happened?"

Diego was silent for a while. _Great…What now? _He couldn't just shrug it off, neither could he lie… Then he had to tell them the truth…

"I had a small conversation with a few wolves", he finally said. Sid and the possums gasped.

"I thought it was a joke!" Eddie yelled.

"This is the end for us", Sid cried.

"Play dead!" Crash exclaimed, and the possums fell to the ground.

"Would you guys calm down?" Diego growled.

"How close? How many?" Manny rabbled up questions, completely ignoring his saber friend.

Manny had lost control. Again. _He __**always **__freaks out…_

"**Stop!**" Ellie suddenly yelled. The others were silent immediately and stared at her. "Eddie, Crash, if you play dead, you **be** dead. Sid, for once, STOP singing, and Manny, would you calm down and listen to Diego? Besides, with this much noise the wolves can hear us for_ miles_!" she glared angrily.

"Well, that's what-" Diego begun.

"And _you_", she exclaimed, turning to the saber. "Why are you walking around with that leg?"

"Really, I'm fine", Diego sighed.

"You call that fine?" Ellie raised an eyebrow.

"I've had worse", he smirked.

"Actually, he had-" Sid piped up, but was interrupted by a hit from Mannys trunk. "Ow! What was that for?"

"We have more important things to do than discuss", Manny replied coolly. "Like, how many wolves? And when did Diego fight-"

"No", Ellie interrupted. "The **important** thing is to do something to Diegos leg", her eyes narrowed warningly.

"Actually", Diego begun before the mammoths started an argument. "the **important** thing is to get out of here. So, let's go."

"But your leg!" Ellie protested.

"It's fine", Diego said annoyed. Sure, it hurt a bit, but it wasn't _that_ bad! "Look, as long as we stay here, we're in danger. Do you want anything to happen to Peaches?" the herd stayed silent, but Manny pulled his daughter slightly closer. Diego nodded. "Thought so", he said and begun to walk

"…Your leg doesn't look all too well", Crash commented.

"It looks worse than it is", Diego said and rolled his eyes. He turned around and begun to walk. The herd followed him unwillingly. But he knew Ellie wouldn't leave it there…

They kept travel for several hours, and they could finally see a few plants between the rocks. A small brook rippled. For the herbivores it meant food and closer to other animals…

Not that Diego was grateful, sure he was… But watching his friends eat only made his hunger grow. Last time he hunted was before the flood. Which meant more than two days ago. They decided to take a break and rest there for a while.

"So, Diego, sure you don't want to eat this?" Sid asked, holding a weird looking plant in front of the sabers face. "Right, it's not the best quality…"

"I think I skip" Diego replied sternly._ That sloth just won't give up… _Sid had- for a long time- tried to make Diego eat _vegetables… _He even had the nerv to give him **leaves**...

"Come on, I insist! It's a healthy diet, and it'll help you lose weight!"

Diego raised an eyebrow. "Reeeally…"

"Sid, just leave it", Manny cut in.

"But seriously, look at this unnecessary weight!" Sid shook Diego.

"That's his shoulders", Manny commented.

"Oh… But look at this then!" Sid pointed at his ribcage.

"That's my ribs", Diego answered coolly. "Besides", Diego smirked towards Manny. "I don't think a vegetarian diet would help… I mean, look at Manny."

"I'm not fat!" Manny exclaimed. "It's my fur that's thick. It's-"

"-puffy", both Sid and Diego said. "And I still don't understand how people can get fat by eating vegetables", Sid added.

"Sid, one more word and swear I sit on you", Manny warned.

Sid gulped and laughed nervously. "Ha ha, very funny…uh, I have to…to speak with…Ellie, and…" the sloths voice faded away as he ran to Ellie for protection.

Diego glanced around. Where should they go now? This time they had two choices: they could walk along a narrow, dangerous mountain path, or walk through a hungry wolf packs territory. _Such a nice family trip…_

"Manny", he started. After some hesitation he continued. "I'm not sure where to go."

Manny glanced down at him. "You mean you don't know where we are?" Diego could hear that Manny forced back a sharp reply.

"I know where we are" assured him. "It's just…"

"Just…?" Manny pressed on.

"Well… What do you prefer, walking trough a wolf territory or a unsteady mountain path?"

Manny was silent. "That is", Manny begun, but shut his mouth again.

"Do you want to ask the others?" Diego asked carefully. The mammoth still didn't answer. "You know Ellies reaction if you don't…."

"Fine", Manny muttered and walked over to the herd.

Ellie smiled as they approached. "Are we just taking a break, or are we staying here tonight?" she asked.

"Err…" Manny looked around. They had travelled from afternoon, and it wasn't even midnight yet… He glanced down at the saber for advance.

"It's better to travel in daylight", Diego said. He shot Manny a look, silently asking him what he was going to do.

"We…have a problem", Manny begun.

"Yeah, like we didn't have any before", Eddie muttered.

"What do you mean?" Ellie frowned, ignoring Eddie. Manny shortly told them the options.

"I vote for mountain path!" Eddie said quickly.

"Yeah, 'cuz if we don't only Sid survive. No wolf wants to eat him", Crash muttered.

"Nah, but probably just kill him…"

"Hey guys, this is serious", Ellie interrupted. She turned to Manny and Diego. "What do you two think?"

"Mountain path, no doubt", Manny said.

Diego shifted uneasily. "personally, I say the wolf territory."

"What?" the possums yelped.

"Are you out of your mind?" Manny exclaimed.

"I think Diego needs a doctor, Manny", Sid whispered loudly.

Even Ellie looked rather shocked.

"Look, I know what kind of places this is", Diego said lowly. "The way I prefer is steady and the wolfs aren't that many. But the way _you _prefer is longer, over dangerous mountains, and the rockslides are-"

"Excuse me, but you didn't defeat those wolfs, you only got injured", Manny interrupted sharply.

Diego gritted his teeth. "Indeed", he hissed. "But that way is much shorter."

"Yeah, 'cause your shortcuts are _always_ so safe", Manny snarled, leaving Diego dumbfounded for a while. Last time he 'found a shortcut' he led them to an ambush… straight into a saber territory.

"Okay, that's enough", Ellie said carefully. "What if we sleep on it, and decide tomorrow?" Manny grunted a yes, and the others agreed.

They didn't find any cave, neither anything to build a shelter of. They slept under the starlit night sky.

"Rise and shine, kitty cat!" the possums exclaimed in unison. Diego growled as they threw water on him. "You're little-"

"Not now, okay?" Ellie groaned and put the twins on her back. Crash stuck out his tongue towards Diego.

It was time to choose where to go. Sadly for Diego, he was the only one who choose the wolf territory.

"Come on Diego, cheer up", Ellie said lightly.

"Yeah, it's not that bad", Sid said and clapped the sabers shoulder. Diego glared at him, causing Sid to hide behind Ellie.

"Let's go", Manny said. He looked at Diego. "Really, it has to be safer than hungry wolfs", he said jokingly.

Diego thought about his father, crushed under tons of stones.

No. It wasn't safe.

* * *

><p><strong>That was chapter 6, please rewiew!<strong>

**Diego: Weirdo...**

**GirlFromNorth: What did I do?**

**Blondie: Let me see... you exist, you're a jerk, you-**

**GirlFromNorth: I didn't ask _you!_**

**Blondie: I'm hurt...**

**Ellie: Come on, stop being so mean!**

**Mysterious H: I honestly don't think the readers want to read this, author...**

**GirlFromNorth: Well, _sorry_ then! Then just ignore this, 'cuz I'm just _hyper_, and read the first line up there!**

**Eddie & Crash: Geez, such a temper... *grin***


	7. Chapter 7

**It's me! The au****thor! ..Remember me?.. Yes, I know, it's been a long time since last update, but I've been kinda busy... Especially now in christmas time :). Thanks to everyone who reviwed- and to ThatRottenAcorn: I almost forgot about the wolf! It was supposed to be in chapter 6, but somehow I didn't put that on ...**

**So, here's chapter 7! Please review!**

* * *

><p>A scrawny wolf limped over the rocks. The tongue hang out and there were several open wounds on his small body. His breaths came in short, shuddering gasps. The wolf managed to stagger into the wolfs territory.<p>

"Where have you been, Grey?" a powerful voice reached his ears. It was Shadow, the pack's alpha. Shadow was named of his dark fur and speed. It was said, that when he ran, only his shadow could be seen. The pack surrounded the exhausted wolf, Grey.

"Where's Black?" Shadow demanded. Grey looked at the alpha. Black and Grey, the siblings who didn't care about each other. No one really cared anymore.

"Black's… dead", the wolf couched up some blood. "…the saber", Grey struggled for breath before falling to the ground. Moonlight, one of the females, walked up to him and nudged him in the side. Gray gasped a few times before he went still.

"Dead", Moonlight said coldly. The pack was silent.

Shadow frowned. _Not that those idiots are a big loss_, he thought, _but still two wolfs lesser. _The decision was easy: they would attack that strange herd and no idiotic saber would stand in their way.

"Listen", he barked harshly. "We'll keep tracking that herd. **Now**", his gaze fell on Grey's lifeless body. "Leave the body."

The pack followed him immediately. However, Shadow was more than a little shocked to find out that the herd was going to the Deadly Mountains. Even the best could die by going there.

How stupid are they, really?

* * *

><p>"You raise me uuuup, so I can stand on mountains", Sid sang with terrible, false voice. Manny raised his trunk to hit him. Sid let out a scream and hide behind Ellie.<p>

"You've got a very bad habit oh hiding behind our sister", Eddie commented.

Crash grinned and the possums should just jump at the sloth.

"Be quieter", Diego snapped. The herd looked at him. Diego was never one to actually raise his voice or show his emotions. Now he looked rather… nervous. He threw glances around them all the time.

"Something's wrong?" Manny asked, fearing that the wolfs were near.

Diego shrugged. "Just this place", he muttered and walked past the others. "And keep your voices low, for pity's sake", he added with a hiss. "These mountains are _very_ unsteady."

Ellie and Manny exchanged looks. Something was definitely wrong.

Diego was growing… unsure. He felt more like a lost cub than a full grown saber. And he didn't like it. He growled and shook his head. He would _not_ think thing like that! Well, he managed to keep himself from feeling so **before **they came to _that_ place.

Diego froze as he took in the sight in front of him. Large rocks laying in a mess. A dead tree standing a few feet away. The steep cliff walls…

He knew this place. All to well. The saber couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't _breathe. _

_/"Look out!" little Diego fell to the ground and couldn't get up. Rocks were tumbling down from the mountain. _

_A voice whispered in his ears. "I'm sorry…"_

_He was flying through the air, watching the other saber disappear under tons of rocks._

"…_D-dad?/_

"Hey, Diego! Coming or not?" Manny's voice shook the saber back to reality.

"Ah, yes", he managed to say, praying his voice was steady. Judging from the strange looks the herd gave him, it wasn't as calm as he wished.

"You're alright?" Ellie asked carefully.

"Yes", Diego answered sharper than he intended. But considering anger was the easiest way to keep the voice in check, he didn't try to do anything more.

While they kept walking he tried to push away the thoughts. Tried to deny. Because under the heavy rocks were the bones of his father. Diego shuddered and closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again they were harder, colder. He would **not **mourn the loss of his father. He wouldn't.

Not anymore.

The twins were – as usual- playing pranks on the others. And if they didn't do that, they played tag. Or 'Annoy the saber'". Or 'Kill the sloth', or 'Make the mammoth yell', and the list goes on. Diego hated it.

Not just the possums, but the stinking, awful, spiteful place they were in. Diego knew that animals usually remember smells better than sounds or sights. And he remembered. Oh, how he did! The thin air and the strange, dry smell.

And the sickly sweet, rotten smell of saber blood.

"Is it a long way to go?" Sid whined. His back was bowed and the goofy head hang. In fact, the rest of the herd looked almost as tired as the sloth.

"Get up on Ellie's back", Diego told him calmly. "_Now_", he added as Manny looked like he was going to protest. "Listen. We're getting closer to the Mountain Trail, a small path twisting away from here. But I warn you, the trail is **not** meant for mammoths. Be careful, and we should make it. When the path gets broader, we'll come to a lake in a low dale… If I remember right.

Manny raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't know this place."

Diego narrowed his eyes. "I was wrong", he said sternly and put an end to the conversation. He jerked his head towards the road that was slowly getting smaller and smaller. "Let's go", he told the herd.

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><p>A dark wolf watched the strange herd from distance. His teeth were bared and the eyes narrowed. A sly smirk reached his lips as he glared at the saber who led the herd towards the Montain Trail. Towards their dead.<p>

"Moonlight", he barked without turning his head from the saber. The light female walked up to him.

"Yes?" she asked. Shadow didn't spare her a single glance.

"Make sure that the pack is ready to attack", he commanded. "And send a few wolfs over the mountains to meet the herd from the other side."

Moonlight's eyes widened and she stared at him in shock. "_Over _the mountains?" her voice was a bit higher than usual. "But, there's no chans that they'll survive that-"

"Are you doupting me?" the alphas voice was dangerous calm, but his eyes were flashing furiously.

"No, of course not", Moonlight said quickly and bowed her head.

Shadow nodded. "Good. Now, **go**!" Moonlight turned around as fast as she could to do what she was told. That was the good thing about being the alpha: everyone feared him and did as he told them to. Shadow's heart was since long cold.

"Wolfs", he called out louder. The smirk grew broader and his teeth shone. "We attack immediately."

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><p><strong>Am I evil? Nah, it's not one of those reeally annoying cliffhangers, right? Probably not my best chapter so far, but still. I'm having a hard time writing wolfs, 'cuz in this fanfic they're the 'bad guys'... and I like wolfs. I'm so bad with names, too...<strong>

**Blondie: Indeed, you are...**

**GirlFromNorth: That's called bullying!**

**Mysterious H: Who cares?..**

**GirlFromNorth: I do!**

**Diego: Whatever...**

**Manny: At least she's not hyper this time.**

**Eddie: Still annoying-**

**Crash: And short tempered.**

**Blondie: Believe me,I know.**

**GirlFromNorth: Now it's definitely bullying! *cryes* **

**Reviews makes my day!**


	8. Chapter 8

***sigh* Okay, okay... I won't waste any time with saying I'm sorry for the long wait. Hope you can read this anyway - real life as been rather busy, you know? So, guess wat? There's only one, maybe two, chapters left of this fanfiction! And I _promise _that I will finish it!**

**Thanks for the reviews! Here's chaper 8:**

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><p>The herd walked slowly. Diego led them, with Ellie next and Manny last. Sid sat on Manny's back while the possums and Peaches stayed close to Ellie. For once there was no singing or playing.<p>

Sid gulped as he swayed on Manny's back. "Um, Diego…" he begun. "Why can't I see the ground over there?"

Diego glanced down as well. Apparently they were just walking on a ledge, nothing more. "It's the mist", he answered calmly.

Crash laughed nervously. "It's still a rather long way down…"

"Wonder how long we'd fall before we smash into the rocks", Eddie filled in.

"Why don't you find out?" Diego replied dryly. Suddenly he stiffened in alarm. He caught the scent of wolves.

"What is it?" Manny asked as he noticed the saber's ears laying flat to his head. Peaches huddled closer to her mother.

"Wolves", he said tensely. Without paying the others any attention he slipped past them and came to stand next to Manny. "They're attacking from behind. Most likely they want to see me dead first, considering I killed two of their own."

"How long is this trail?" Manny asked. Fighting on a slim path in the mountains wasn't a great plan, especially since three of them were mammoths.

Diego frowned. "I'm not sure. I haven't been here for a long time. Keep on walking, Ellie", he added quickly as he begun to hear the wolves. Ellie hurried forward and threw a concerned glance over the shoulder. Diego didn't doubt she would be helping them if it wasn't for Peaches.

"Even when we fight", Manny murmured to her.

They hadn't taken more than a few steps before a black, lonely wolf appeared right in front of the saber.

"Why, hello", the wolf, obviously the alpha, purred. A sly grin reached his face. "I must say you're the strangest herd ever. Mammoths, possums, sloths… and a saber." He turned his sharp eyes to Diego and growled threatening. "You owe me two of your lives", he hissed. "However, I'm not known for mercy. Let's say I take all your lives." With that the whole pack of wolves came out from the shadows.

Instead of being attacked by the alpha as Diego was expecting, two smaller wolves threw themselves over him. That was the start signal. At once the wolves literally jumped at the herd. Diego stood closest and stopped as many as possible from reaching the others. Manny stood slightly behind him and prevented everyone who slipped past the saber. Which meant he was just as busy as Diego.

With a snarl Diego sent a wolf flying over the edge. His desperate howl echoed long after he disappeared. The wolves were rather small, but also were quick and surprisingly tough. As Diego delivered a –what he thought- deadly blow and turned away from the body, the wolf scrambled up and tried to bite the saber in the neck. It was only Manny's fast thinking that saved him from a certain dead. Ever so slowly, Diego and Manny walked backwards. Ellie's focus was on Peaches as she tried to lead them into safety. Diego realized with a sting of guilt that Ellie had a long cut over her left foreleg which still was bleeding. Somehow, a wolf had managed to slip past both Diego and Manny and attacked her. Apparently se had managed to shake him off.

Diego narrowed his eyes as he saw the alpha standing away from them and silently watching the fight. He seemed to save is breath and playing leader without risking his life. If it were a pack of sabers, he would have been overthrown a long time ago. Diego also knew, that this pack would fight into death. The only way to stop them was to defeat their alpha.

"What, to frightened to fight me?" he called out to the wolf. "Scared to break a claw?" from experience he knew that insults always worked. The alpha snarled.

"Dream, saber", he roared and leapt over the saber. Diego growled back and slashed his claws over the wolf's face. He responded by sinking his teeth into Diego's shoulder. Sadly for him, Diego found it easy to shake him of. After a short while the alpha indeed proved to be a worthy fighter. They were both bleeding from several cuts and wounds. Manny was now fighting those wolves who tried to slip past; but considering most of them silently sat and watched their alpha fight it wasn't too hard.

Just as Diego thought he had an advantage, another light-furred wolf joined the fight. He suddenly felt the childish urge to call him cheater.

"Coward!" the saber called out as he saw the alpha slink into the shadows once again. Diego gritted his teeth and ran closer to Manny.

"Any further ideas?" Manny asked dryly and cast a look down at him.

"Actually, yes: Keep on walking", Diego said without looking back. "The sooner we get away from here, the better."

Manny raised an eyebrow. "And you're off too…?" he wondered as Diego moved slightly forward.

"The only way to stop them is to kill their alpha", he murmured. "And that's what I'm going to do." He didn't wait for Manny's reply, and leaped past the first two wolves and fought his way towards the alpha. The leader regarded him with cold eyes and didn't move before Diego was a few meters away. Then he attacked without warning and they both tumbled backwards and rolled, fighting for the higher ground. A sudden idea hit Diego: why trying to kill the alpha before his own pack's protecting eyes, when Manny could help?

Thanks to sheer will and a great amount of luck Diego managed to push the alpha closer to Manny, who still were fighting the others.

"Manny!" Diego shouted warningly. The mammoth looked sharply towards him, then to the wolf and immediately understood what Diego was thinking. He narrowed his eyes, rushed forward and hit the alpha with his tusks. All his powers were beneath that hit, and the wolf was sent flying dangerously close to the edge. Manny and Diego ran forward at the same time and the alpha had nowhere to flee. He was roughly pushed of the cliff, and fell howling down from the mountain. The other wolves froze in shock.

Manny looked back to them and growled. "Leave", he said in low voice, and one by one the wolves disappeared soundlessly again. The herd stood in one place a bit longer.

"Well that was…" Eddie started and looked at Crash, who didn't seem to know what to say.

"Let's go, shall we?" Ellie suggested quietly and stroke Peaches' head carefully. The others agreed, while no one voiced their concerns. This time Diego walked last. Ellie had already stared fussy over both Manny's and Diego's injuries, which both of them dismissed. And for the sake of the herd's safety, a few wounds and a few days of limping wasn't too much to pay. It seemed as they would make it safe down from the mountain.

_Seemed_. Sometimes, days are just terrible bad and luck is nowhere to be found. Apparently they were having one of those days. Because just as they were beginning see the forests, the ground beneath them begun to shake. At first it was nothing but small tremors under them, but soon they grew larger.

"Move, quickly!" Manny barked, and they started running. Diego had to bite his tongue to not say anything about mammoths running in the mountains is **not** smart. Staying at the same spot wasn't safe, either.

Running last wasn't the best thing to do, Diego thought. A strange feeling of dejá vu filled him as rocks begun to tumble down. It was exactly what had happened all those years ago, when he still was a cub. Expect for that little thing: his pack wasn't there. No, they were dead. Either was his father there, who ad given his life to protect his son.

Still, Diego didn't feel frightened as he realized there was no way he should make his way out from there. He didn't feel much at all.

AS the rocks smashed down in front of him, he faintly heard someone call his name. Maybe he didn't hear it. Maybe it only was an illusion.

He guessed it didn't matter anymore, since the world only was darkness now.

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><p><strong>Diego: ...That's not very nice.<strong>

**Blondie: Nope - but she's not know for being nice, either.**

**GirlFromNorth: Shut up, or I'll delete you from this "story".**

**Blondie: Being "behind the scenes" isn't a very good job, you know.**

**Mysterious H: No, you don't mean that...**

**GirlFromNorth: I'm just going to predend that I don't hear you... Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I am... very ashamed... Sorry, I don't have any good excuses. Well, except for Ice hockey! Oh god, I s****cream all the time and literally jump at my sister in joy when Finland wins :) Surprised? What? Finland loves ice hockey, that's all!**

**Thank you SO much for your reviews! It means a lot :3**

**Chapter 9 - one chapter to go...**

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><p>Diego moaned slightly and wrinkled his brow in confusion. What...? Where was he? He tried to sit up only to realize that he couldn't. Cold, rock hard material pressed him down and successfully knocked the breath from him. His throat felt dry and his head was a foggy mess. With great effort the saber managed to crack an eye open. Why was it still so dark?<p>

Oh… _Oh_. The rockslide. He remembered fighting, winning, seeing the forests below them… And then running. Running from the unforgiving death. Had the other made it out alive? All Diego knew was that he was trapped under tons of rock.

Claustrophobia made his breath hitch. Was this how his father finally died, waiting for dead by hunger or thirst instead for the short, merciful dead by being crushed?

But no… As the dusty air turned heavier and harder to breath Diego realized how he would face his death. Not as an old saber, not in a hunting accident, nor in a fight. He would slowly be choked to death.

His cat eyes finally adjusted to the thick darkness but there was nothing else than plane rock to regard. Did the herd look for him? He didn't know. Blurry stars seemed to dance in front of his eyes, no matter if they were closed or open. Maybe it was time for him to return to his pack – to his… family? If it even existed a place for the dead ones to rest. He hadn't believed in something like that for a long time now.

He closed his eyes and ignored his itching throat and pushed away small trickles of fear. Sabers don't feel fear…

"_Di?"_

Diego's eyes snapped open again. He knew that voice. To his utter astonishment a small figure crouched beside him with the little head curiously facing him.

"Adi?" Diego gasped and tried to raise a paw to rub his eyes, only to remember that he was stuck.

"_Di"_, the little one repeated with a happy smile. The saber cub stared at him with big, baby blue eyes and giggled. _My mind is playing tricks on me_, Diego thought without taking his eyes from the cub called Adi. A faint glow covered the cub and Diego struggled against the rocks that kept him down.

He managed to free his right paw with a hiss of pain and he swore it was broken… or just badly bruised. Diego ignored that he shook and raised his paw to touch Adi. It went straight through the cub. Adi wasn't really there.

And Diego had _known _that, and shouldn't have expected anything else. Still, it _hurt._ Because little, sweet Adi was dead. And Diego could remember all from the cub's short life: all from the newborn cub to the child saying his first words: _ma, pa_ and soon even _Di_. Di after Diego. Adi's father had been so proud…

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><p><em>Diego watched tiredly as his brother paced restlessly around. Left, right, left, right… Like a beast in cage, powerful yet helpless in its prison. Left, right, left, right…<em>

"_Would you calm down?" Diego finally snapped. _

_Soto merely growled and kept pacing even faster. Diego rested his head on his paws and watched Soto with half-closed eyes. His brother had finally mated with Mira, and both of them were happy. But thanks to the humans who once again tried to attack them the pack had been forced to move again. It didn't do well for Mira's enormous stomach. Her cubs were close to being born. And now they were coming. _

_Soto wasn't allowed to be with her, out of old tradition. Diego had stayed with him as silent support – which Soto barely noticed. Diego felt a smile tugging on his lips._

"_I'm sure she'll be fine" he assured softly. Soto grunted in reply and threw a nervous glance towards the cave where Mira was. "Have you decided the names yet?" he tried again and Soto finally stopped._

"_We got a whole bunch of them", he admitted with a small grin. "And don't pretend you haven't heard them", he added smirking. _

"_Yes, but you need a good thirty kids to use _all_ those names."_

_Soto was about to answer when Helen, who helped Mira with the birth, called. Soto was immediately on his way to his mate and Diego politely waited outside. But when no-one called out to him or came out from the cave he began to worry. After several minutes more waiting Helen walked out with her head bowed in sadness. She looked Diego in his eyes before silently shaking her head and disappearing. _

_Diego felt the worry grow until he couldn't take it anymore. He walked to the cave's entrance and stopped._

"_Hello?" he asked softly and waited._

"_Come in" he heard Soto's dull reply. Diego walked in, almost afraid. To his great relief Mira slept soundly on the floor with Soto sitting motionless beside her. But the cubs… Where was the cubs? And then he saw it. A small, newborn cub lay curled up into ball next to its sleeping mother._

"_Only… Only one?" he asked in disbelief. Soto nodded without looking at him. Silence stretched out between them. "The other cubs… They… they didn't…"_

"_I'm sorry", Diego whispered turned to the floor._

"_We're going to call him Adriano", Soto spoke suddenly. Diego sucked in a breath and hoped it wasn't heard. "You know… I think it would be fitting, having something after dad…" he said uncertainly._

"_It's perfect", Diego quickly assured him. He smiled to the little, still blind cub. "Welcome to the world, little Adi."_

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><p>"<em>Maaa", Adriano whined and pulled at Mira. Benito chuckled quietly and Diana smiled. Adi turned hopeful eyes to Soto. "Pa?"<em>

_Soto laughed. "Sorry son, no more playing now."_

_Krista tried to stifle her own laugh as the two week old cub glared up at his father. Adi finally turned to Diego with pleading eyes. "Di?" he asked sweetly._

_Diego almost choked. Soto looked mildly surprised but smiled nonetheless. "Sure, kiddo", Diego answered without caring about Mira's frown. _

_No kid liked sleep time, anyway._

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><p><em>There was no warning. None at all. It all happened too fast, too sudden. It wasn't <strong>supposed <strong>to happen! The pack had calmly begun their travel south: all sabers didn't do that, but when there was no prey around, the sabers couldn't stay. After all, they would come back next year. Unfortunately the humans wanted saber furs to keep warm for the winter._

_The wind blew from the sabers direction, carrying away the humans scent. They used weapons: long, sharp spears and shorter, just as sharp, arrows. There was no time to react. One minute everybody was chatting happily, Tito walking next to Diego, the next three sabers fell dead to the ground. _

_Tito had gasped and staggered forward before falling to the ground with an arrow buried in his neck. And then a hell broke loose. The humans were cowards: instead of facing them in a real battle they kept hidden a good distance away. Hidden with quivers filled with arrows and bows ready. _

_More and more sabers fell. Diego couldn't even see whose blood covered the ground. He was dimly aware of staring down on Helen's lifeless body and seeing Benito howl in pain as an arrow barely missed him and scraped his shoulder. Despair, anger, hate, sorrow. Blood smell was clinging tickly to the air, making Diego feel sick. _

_He quickly shook away the illness and focused. Now he could see the humans closer: they were ready to finally fight them face to face._

_Soto roared bloodthirsty to threaten the filthy humans, preparing to meet them. However the effect was a bit destroyed when he stood in front of Mira and Adriano, desperately trying to protect them. _

"_Diego!" Benito hissed and came to stand behind him. Diego turned to look at his brother, whose eyes were desperate. "Come on, you know we can't do this! We can't run to meet the humans: not now when so many are hurt! We can still run away", he pleaded._

"_A saber does not flee", Diego corrected him, even if he himself thought the same. They hadn't even attacked the humans yet. But nothing could stop the fast, deadly spears that were thrown at them._

_Diego's eyes widened and he threw himself to the side, barely missing being hit. He breathed out in relief and turned around –_

"_No", he breathed. Benito stared in shocked surprise at the long spear that caught him straight in the chest. "NO", Diego roared again and hurried forward as his little brother fell. _

_Benito was dead before he hit the ground. Blind, green eyes stared and his face lay still in the mud stained with blood. Diego turned towards the humans, shaking of rage. Then he attacked. Biting, clawing, kicking, killing, anything to get rid of so many humans as possible. _

_He had never hated himself so much. Why, oh why did he have to duck under the spear?..._

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><p>Diego shuddered and stared at the fake Adi. He was killed in the fight as well. Soto's roar of rage and utter despair still echoed in his ears. Diego forced himself to not think about the other bodies. And failed. Diana was killed trying to protect little Adi, as well as Mira was.<p>

Finally they had to retreat, and Soto literally had to be dragged away. Krista had been right behind them, but in the end…

…The only survivors were Soto, Diego, Oscar, Lenny and Zeke. They never found the dead bodies, except for bones and…and _flesh_ left in the forests. The furs was kept by the humans.

And sometimes… Sometimes Diego wondered if he had done the right decision by helping Manny and Sid return Pinky to his herd.

The saber's head hit the ground with a soft thud and he looked up at Adriano. "I'm sorry", he murmured quietly.

Adi smiled again. "_Di_", he repeated and nuzzled his uncle's head. Diego could almost, _almost, _feel the cubs head against his own.

"_Come on, Diego…_" he heard another voice, just as real as if the person actually was there. Diana, his sister smirked quickly towards him before fading away. Benito's face appeared too, and Diego let himself believe for a short while believe it wasn't just an imagination. After all, they say before you die you see your whole life flash before your eyes. Diego snorted lightly.

"_You gotta let go", _Krista's voice whispered before all of them disappeared.

Diego struggled for air. There… was no left. And his lungs _burned_, and his vision blurred again.

"Diego?" a voice exclaimed. Diego frowned weakly. That was no voice from his pack… Still, he knew that voice – but who was it?

"Hey, dude!" a second voice shouted in his ear. Diego couldn't answer. Didn't they see he was dying? Why couldn't he have some rest? He was so tired…

The two annoying voices chattered quickly and he could hear their fear. One of them hurried away while shouting something. Then Diego recognized the scent…

_Possums…_

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><p><strong>GirlFromNorth: And that's it<strong>

**Blondie: I noticed...**

**Benito: Did you just KILL me?**

**Mysterious H: In case you didn't notice, yes.**

**Diego: Jerk...**

**Manny: So there's only one more chapter?**

**GirlFromNorth: Yep!**

**Everybody except GirlFromNorth: Phew!**

**Reviews -if anyone forgives me, lol- are loved!**


	10. Chapter 10

**The final chapter is here! My deepest apologizes for the wait. A dear relative recently passed away, and I'm normally a happy person, but I'm not dealing very well with it. At least I finally publish this chapter.**

**So I leave the sad talking for now: cuz´I want to give everyone who has reviewed, added to story/author alert and favorite, and read this, a BIG hug and many thanks! I haven't been very fast with the updates, but apparently you've managed to not kill me :). Big thanks to:**

**Tigey Wigey, KaylaDestroyer, mwang, Mad-Face pro c.c, That-Rotten-Acorn, Superstorian, KristenTheKittyCat, RemmyBlack, Hebi R, JustSomeone, TheRYU, Andromakhe, Transformers' BABY, TheDisturbingObjektsFriend and Starzinmieyez! Your reviews have been so funny to read ;) Thanks again!**

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><p>"Di!"<p>

Diego shifted slightly at the high pitched voice close to his ear. The other voices around him were silently hushed and the saber tiredly tried to return to sleep.

"Diii", the same voice repeated whining. His eyes flickered as he tried to open them. Who was the one talking to him? Adi?.. No. It wasn't the little cub's voice.

"Peaches, hush now", another voice mildly chided. Wait- Peaches? The saber fought against the heavy fog in his mind and finally opened his eyes.

A few blurry figures surrounded him, even if the most he saw was brown fur. As his vision cleared he realized the brown fur in fact was Peaches. She stared at him with big, green eyes and grinned broadly. Diego blinked again, before sitting up. He winced as the pain shook his body again.

"Easy", Ellie's voice told him. Then he felt a trunk on his shoulder, silently offering support.

"What happened?" Diego asked. He made a face at the sound of his own voice: a rasping whisper causing his dry throat to burn.

"You were stuck under those rocks!" Crash piped up.

"I saved you!", Eddie interrupted and dunked his own chest. Crash gave him a sharp elbow in his stomach. "Okay, we then", he added muttering.

Sid, who had dozed of on a nearby rock, suddenly woke.

"Diego!" he cried happily. "You're awake! Aw, come on, give me a hug", with those words he rushed forward with open arms. The said saber was saved by Manny whose trunk 'accidentally' tackled the sloth to the ground.

"Don't", Manny said shortly turned to Sid.

Diego ignored them and carefully stood up. A small hiss through clenched teeth was the only sound betraying his pain.

"Careful", Ellie sighed. "We weren't sure if you would live when we finally managed to pull you out from the rocks." She eyed him critically. "By all means, you shouldn't even be up yet."

He grinned weakly at her. "It takes more than that to get rid of me. Besides, I still have a handful of lives left."

He took in his surroundings, ears pointing upwards. The mountains were behind them, still visible yet hard to see between the leaves. Leaves, yes. They were in a forest.

The saber raised an eyebrow towards the herd. "And how, exactly, did we end up here?" he asked in a low growl.

Manny shrugged. "We had to leave the mountains behind us, and you've been unconscious for a few hours." He stared back at the predator, challenging him to argue.

His saber pride screamed in protest, yet his common sense knew they had had to leave. But still, to be… _carried_ like a helpless cub-

He quickly shook of those thoughts. He really didn't want to think about it. "Well, thanks… I guess", he muttered, hoping his voice sounded ironic and uncaring. He missed the smile on Ellie's face and the amused look back at Manny. "Should we be leaving?" he asked.

"I believe we all needs some rest", Ellie said with a yawn before laying down on the ground. Peaches gurgled happily and snuggled closer to her mother. The possums quickly followed suit, and just as quickly fell asleep.

Sid yawned widely and walked back to his stone. "I don't know with you guys, but I'm dead tired", he exclaimed and stretched.

Manny snorted. "You just woke up."

"Mm, but a sloth needs his sleep. Night." In a few seconds he was snoring soundly. Manny and Diego shared a knowing look before laying down as well. The darkness creeped upon them and the moon cast silvery light over the trees.

The rising sun was beautiful. Stunning. The sky was brilliant blue, in contrast against the orange sun coloring the horizon. Diego had always been an early riser; one of the reasons being the sight of the sun rising and forests waking. Not that anyone had to know that, of course. It was a well kept secret, a threat to his ego and pride. A saber wasn't sentimental. Then again, when he was all alone it couldn't hurt to enjoy the beauty of the nature.

Diego was currently laying on a flat rock a few yards away from the herd. The rock gave him a nice view over the landscape.

Behind him the herd was waking up as well, ready to keep going. The saber rested in the sun for a few minutes more. Thinking.

He was sure it had only been an illusion back under the rocks, caused by a blow to the head and lack of oxygen. Well… perhaps some memories and… wistful thinking?

No, no. Not _wistful_. Just- memories. Yes, that's it. Memories.

Still, it was worth some reflecting, right? Why had he seen- _imagined_- little Adi back there? And the others. What was it Krista had said? _You gotta let go_. Let go of what? His life? No, that wasn't what she had meant.

Diego rested his head on his paws and frowned in thought. The wind blew, a small breeze from the mountains. It ruffled his fur, like a brief touch of the long lost ones. The ones he had called family all those years ago. Had it just been a few years? It felt like another lifetime, or memories of someone else. So much had changed…

He had no pack. No _family_.

_But you do_, the wind whispered, blowing towards the herd.

The herd? Yes, he had thought of them as his family a few times. But weren't they just friends, animals he cared about? A real family meant love. Did he love the herd? Diego angrily shook away those thoughts. He was a _saber_, for pity's sake! Being sentimental isn't befitting for a tiger.

_Neither is watching the sunrise_, the wind, the voice, murmured repeating his former thoughts. Faint laughter, almost unheard by the saber, was heard. Diego's eyes narrowed. He couldn't call the herd family. Family was something he lost step by step, beginning from his cub days. Family meant love, yes. It meant pain. It meant death. He could never feel something like love again. His ability to love was just as lost as family. He did not love, not anymore.

_Only because you won't let yourself._

Diego gritted his teeth. He must have hit his head harder than he thought.

_Well, __**that's**__ a surprise_, another voice giggled. _I thought you were too thick skulled for that._

Benito's voice. It sounded just like the old teasing, in that other almost hurt thinking like that.

_You won't allow yourself to be happy, because you haven't let go yet, Diego. You haven't let go of the past. Of us._ A voice sounding like Diana whispered.

_But I have!_ Diego mentally growled.

_But you haven't_. And now he couldn't argue. In some ways, he hadn't. So that was what Krista had meant. But what was he supposed to do? Forget about them?

_Wrong_, Krista muttered dryly. _That's what you've been trying to do the last few years. You haven't allowed yourself to grieve or miss, only pushing the feeling away. It won't work forever you know. One way or another the memories will break free, and then they will overwhelm you. _

Diego didn't answer. It felt stupid having an argument inside his head, yet those small voices sounded wise.

_Remember us,_ they whispered. _Remember the happy days, not the bad. There's a lot of good memories, and it's only you who can choose which ones you want to keep. Remember us, so you can let go._

Diego lifted his head from their place in his paws. He wanted to protest again, but why should he? The words made perfect sense. Slowly the voices started to fade even more, before they almost were gone.

_Oh, and by the way Diego. Soto forgives you. He says he's not angry anymore. He's only sad that it turned out they did_, Diana murmured before disappearing.

A short silence, before Krista whispered to him one last time: _We'll be waiting for you, Di._

The wind stilled for a moment before blowing again. This time it was silent. Diego lay still, reflecting over what he had heard. It _had_ been an illusion, right?

"Diego?" the saber turned and saw Sid looking at him. "Uh, we're kinda' leaving now", he informed Diego as he pushed an apple into his mouth. "You coming?" he asked and wiped his mouth. The saber blinked.

Diego slowly stood up. "Yes", he answered smoothly and jumped down with a teasing smirk, easily getting ahead of his sloth friend.

"Wait for me!" Sid yelled and hurried to caught up with the others. "Guys?" Everything was back to normal. Everyone kept walking, the twins kept playing and Peaches giggled happily. Ellie stopped them with a sight, allowing Sid to caught up with them.

Diego cast a look over his shoulder and stopped. The mountains were still visible, if only barely over the trees. Still, it was a symbol in his life. It stood for death, family and memories. And after some time, he would even follow his siblings advance. Even if it only had been an illusion. Who knew, after all? He could be sentimental if he wanted. No one had to know, after all.

"Diego! Are you stuck back there?" Diego quickly looked back at the herd. Manny jerked his head forward, a clear sign that he wanted to keep moving.

"Coming", he called back calmly and hurried forward. When the others didn't see, he looked back one last time and smiled gently.

Yes. His family was at peace. Now he had another one to look after.

Fin

* * *

><p><strong>Aaaand, done! It's taken a while, but I <em>said<em> I will finish it :D From now on I will wait for inspiration to strike - maybe write some one-shots, who knows?**

**Diego: Can you make "one-shots" to "none-shots"?**

**GirlFromNorth: You're my favorite character: you could at _least_ be polite! ...and grateful!**

**Diego: _Grateful?_ You almost killed me, slaughtered my so-called family, embarrased me, made me see illusions, almost-**

**Benito: Oh, whatever! _I _got killed!**

**GirlFromNorth: Exacly. Now get out.**

**Blondie: That's not a very nice thing to say.**

**Mysterious H: Well, what did you expect? _Her_ to be _nice?_**

**Sid: no one is very nice here, if you ask me.**

**GirlFromNorth: And no one asked you, so shut up.**

**Diego: For once I agree with you.**

**And now you will finally get rid of these pointless "behind the scenes". Yep, story-time's over, children. Now, go leave a review and make a certain author very happy. Thanks :)**


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